


We Don't Make Dick Cakes.

by Bunnywest



Series: Rabbit verse [26]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 17:46:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12658386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunnywest/pseuds/Bunnywest
Summary: Dan takes his cake very seriously.For him, cake is art.It’s something he learned from a librarian when he was still a teenage boy – if you’re going to do something, do it all the way.The back story of our baker friend.





	We Don't Make Dick Cakes.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nineorfour](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nineorfour/gifts).



> Fiiiine, I wrote it.  
> It's probably the result of watching Cake Wars yesterday.
> 
> I'm gifting this to nineorfour just as a reward for sheer damned persistence in asking.

The main advantage to owning one of the best bakeries in Beacon Hills, in Dan’s opinion, is the freedom to turn people away.

He won’t deny, it gives him immense pleasure to see people’s faces when they come for a cake consultation and see the signs stating **WE DON’T MAKE DICK CAKES**.

Actually, what they say is **_This bakery reserves the right to refuse to make sexually explicit baked goods_** but the meaning is clear enough.

It’s not that Dan even has anything against dick – if you ask John, his partner of ten years, he’ll tell you that generally, Dan’s a big fan.

It’s just that he can do so much more, and he chooses not to spend his time on penises for hen’s nights, vaginas with babies coming out of them for baby showers, or fake breasts for twenty first birthdays.

Anybody can make those, and Dan’s not anybody.

Dan takes his cake very seriously.

For him, cake is art.

It’s something he learned from a librarian when he was still a teenage boy – if you’re going to do something, do it all the way.

* * *

 

 

Dan’s thirteen and a mess of teenage hormones and confused sexuality the first time he meets Beacon Hills’ new Head Librarian.

He’s doing a project on the pyramids, and it’s due in four days, and the internet at home’s dropped out.  He approaches his teacher shyly to explain the situation, hoping she’ll give him a little more time, but instead she informs him that the library has free internet access for students, and that it’s open till eight every night.

She smiles kindly at him and tells him “Go and see Stiles, he’ll sign you up for a library card. He’ll probably be able to help with your research as well. Tell him I sent you.”

“Go and see who?” he asks, unsure what a Stiles is exactly.

“Stiles Stilinski. He’s a decent guy” she clarifies.

“There’s a man working at the library?” he says without thinking.

He’s thirteen, and in his world librarians are old ladies with blue rinsed hair and stern expressions, who can silence you with a single look.

 “Shocking, isn’t it.” she says drily, raising an eyebrow at him.

He flushes, saying “I just meant it’s not very common.”

“Neither is Stiles” she replies with a small smile. “You’ll see.”

 

The last time Dan went to the library he was nine, and Mrs Mazursky was still in charge. It was quiet, and dull, and somewhere your mother dropped you off for a couple of hours in the summer holidays when she couldn’t get a sitter and needed a few hours to run errands.

He hadn’t found it that thrilling then, and he doesn’t expect much will have changed. It’s a library. Seen one, seen them all, he figures.

At least he’ll have access to the internet.

 

* * *

 

 

Dan was so, so wrong.

This…..this isn’t like any library he’s ever seen.

First off, there’s the large sign hanging over the front desk that boldly proclaims

**_No Shushing In The Library_ **

Dan stares at it, blinking, as he absorbs the message, and he can feel himself starting to smile.

There’s music playing softly, old style swing, not loud enough to be intrusive, but loud enough that a couple of people are humming along.

Instead of there being row upon row of sterile tables to sit at, they’re grouped haphazardly all around the place.

There are beanbags, and several couches.

There’s a coffee machine.

There’s a group of old ladies, laughing, as one of them reads aloud from some sort of romance novel in an exaggerated English accent.

He’s still taking it all in when he sees a man in his twenties approach the old ladies, leaning over and whispering something to one of them, to be met with a shriek of laughter and a smack to the arm, as the ladies declare “Stiles! That’s terrible!”

The man waggles his eyebrows and laughs as he walks away.

So that’s Stiles, thinks Dan, that’s the man he’s meant to see.

He’s nothing like Dan expected a librarian to look like.

For some reason he’d expected someone older, like sixty.

Stiles is not sixty. 

He’s young, and he’s tall, and he seems to be constantly grinning, and his hands are always moving.

He’s dressed in fitted dark slacks and a button down shirt, perfectly ordinary work wear.

Except that the shirt’s bright purple, and so are the Converse on his feet.  When he squats down to pick something up off the floor, Dan catches a flash of batman socks.

It’s the socks that give him the courage to approach the man -  anyone who likes Batman must be all right, he figures.

He approaches him, saying “Excuse me, my teacher said you could help me?”

Stiles turns to Dan, and his smile is wide and bright, and his eyes are kind as he says “Hey, sure thing. Welcome to the library, dude.  What do you need?”

Dan explains about his project, and his broken internet, and Stiles’ eyes light up.

“I have exactly the thing for you” he says, and takes Dan over towards an area that’s set up with a bank of computers.

And breezes right by it, instead stopping at a table near the back.

“Internet’s amazing dude, but if you want an A on this, you need actual books” Stiles tells him, and then he disappears.

He comes back a few minutes later holding a pile of books about the Pyramids, about Egypt, about the Pharoahs, about Cleopatra,  and a dummies guide to hieroglyphics.

He stacks them on the table triumphantly.

“This is the good stuff. Internet’s great for research, but this gives you the visuals, so we can make the whole thing look good. It’s all about the window dressing” he says with a wink.

And then he proceeds to pull up a chair, and help Dan put together the information he needs, all the while talking energetically, smiling, skipping from text to text to find the details he’s looking for.

Dan’s  awestruck.

This man, who he’s just met, is taking time from his work to help him.

‘Thanks” he says hesitantly. Then he asks “Won’t you get in trouble?”

Stiles stops what he’s doing and gives him a puzzled look. “Why would I get in trouble?”

“Um, I mean I don’t want to stop you from doing your job just to help me” he explains.

Stiles  shrugs, telling him “Dude, this is my job.”

‘But what about your boss?’ Dan asks, because he’s heard his Dad come home before now grousing about how the boss is always looking over his shoulder.

Stiles breaks out into a giant grin, leans in towards Dan and whispers to him “I _am_ the boss. Isn’t it great?”

He taps the nametag he’s wearing that Dan hadn’t read before, and he can see that is says **S Stilinski. Head Librarian**

“Cool” he breathes out, because the _actual head of the library_   is helping him with his homework.

“Sorry” the man says, and extends his hand. “I never caught your name, and apparently I can’t call everyone dude.”

Dan introduces himself as he takes the hand and shakes it, and he can’t help but enjoy the firm, dry pressure of the other man’s palm on his, and something about the touch makes his heart beat a little faster. 

He puts the feeling to one side to think about later.

“So Dan, I don’t know if you heard, but they’ve just unearthed another mummy in Egypt, a brand new one” Stiles tells him, eyes twinkling.

“Really?” Dan’s eyes are wide – this will be the making of his project.

“Absolutely. When they dug him up they found his body had been coated in chocolate and crushed hazelnuts, and then wrapped in gold foil” Stiles tells him with a completely straight face.

Dan looks at him, eyes narrowed. Surely this would have been on the news.

Stiles leans forward, and in his most serious tones, tells Dan “ It was Pharoah Rocher.”

Dan blinks, and then he gets it.

He cracks up, and Stiles looks supremely pleased with himself.

‘See? I knew that was funny!” he exclaims. ”I told a guy that joke last night and he accused me of being juvenile!”

Dan hums at that, before hesitantly pointing out “I am actually a kid, though. Maybe he was right.”

Stiles regards him for a moment, and then laughs long and hard.

Dan can’t help but look around to see if anyone’s going to tell them off for being too loud.

Stiles catches his glance, and tells him “Hey, it’s cool.”

He points over at the prominent “No Shushing” sign, saying “I hung that thing for a reason, you know.”

He spends the next hour helping Dan photocopy the pages he wants to decorate his project with, and helps him with the layout, commenting ‘You’ve got a good eye for this. Artistic flair” which makes Dan preen a little.

When it’s time for his Mom to pick him up, he thanks Stiles and goes to pack away the reference materials.

Stiles looks over, considering, and asks “You coming back tomorrow to finish this?”

Dan nods. The project still needs work.

“In that case, just leave those there, save yourself some time’ Stiles says, and he reaches behind his desk and comes out with a sheet of card and a black sharpie.

He quickly scrawls “ _Reserved for Dan. Please Leave_ ” on the card, and signs it _Boss_ _Man_ following by a winking smiley face.

He folds the card over so it has a base, and props it on the table.

Dan looks dubious. “Are you sure someone won’t mess it up?” he asks.

Stiles taps the sharpie against the signature. ‘People here respect the Boss man” he says seriously.

“No we don’t!” calls out one of the old ladies, and the rest of them go off in gales of laughter.

Dan’s not sure, but he thinks he see Stiles flipping the old ladies the bird.

Dan waves a shy goodbye as his mother comes in to collect him, and Stiles waves back and winks.

“Who’s your friend, honey?” his mother asks. 

“That’s the librarian, that’s Stiles.” He informs her.

He sees his mother glance up and down, appraising.

“Oh, he’s adorable. If only I was single” she sighs.

“Mom! “he says, scandalized.

She laughs, and says “I’m allowed to look, Dan. He’s cute, that’s all.“

Dan secretly thinks she might be right, but he’s a guy, so what would he know?

 

* * *

 

 

Dan spends the next three afternoons at the library, working on his project, and while he’s there he figures he might as well do his other homework as well, since he has the desk all set up.

Stiles generally just leaves Dan to do his own thing, but he comes over regularly to check on his progress, makes a suggestion or two, points him to some good websites, and one afternoon saves his life by helping him with his math.

Dan finishes his project, but he doesn’t stop coming to the library.

He’s an only child, and it’s too quiet at home. He finds he studies better here, and he likes it.

His Mom’s happy for him to catch the bus there from school and for her or his dad to pick him up after work, and so he just keeps coming.

And Stiles always has time to talk, or tell stupid jokes, and he treats Dan like he matters, like he’s a real customer, instead of just some kid doing his homework.

The day Dan gets an A on his project, he makes a detour on the way to the library and picks up a small gift for Stiles. He hands him the package, saying “I got you some Egyptian chocolate to say thanks.” When Stiles opens the bag and pulls out a box of Ferrero Rochers, he laughs hard, and pats Dan on the back, and Dan can still feel the hand there, warm and firm, long after he’s walked away.

 

* * *

 

After two weeks of coming in, Dan arrives to find a laminated sign at his usual table saying “reserved.”

He looks at it, dismayed.

Oh.

Obviously an adult needs the space.

There are plenty of other places to sit, it’s not a big deal.

He picks up his bag and turns to find another table, and sees Stiles hurrying over.

“Hey, Dan! Where are you going?” he asks.

Dan points at the sign, and says “Someone else has the table.”

Stiles furrows his brow, and picks up the sign.

He sighs.

“I knew I should have done this myself” he mutters, producing a sharpie and scribbling furiously on the sign.

He hands it to Dan apologetically, saying ”I asked the new girl to type it and laminate it, and she missed half of it out. She’s sweet, but not that bright.”

The sign now says “Reserved - Dan’s Study Den.”

In the corner is a hastily scribbled cartoon of a Dan reading a book.  For some reason he has wolf ears.

He looks at Stiles and frowns.

“Why is it a den? And why am I a wolf?”

Stiles shrugs. “My best friend from high school’s a werewolf. You remind me a little of him, I guess.”

“Anyway, since you’re here so often, thought you’d like your own spot, that’s all.”

He  whispers to him conspiratorially “It makes me look good, getting young people to read.”

Dan’s face breaks into a broad smile, and he resists the urge to hug Stiles, settling for a high five.

He kinda wants the hug, though. He’s slowly realizing that his mother is right, and Stiles is an attractive man, if you like that type of thing.

Dan thinks he might.

 

* * *

 

 

Dan’s grades have improved since he’s taken to studying at the library, so when one school year ends and the next begins, he keeps up the habit.

He’s been coming to the library three or four days a week for about eight months, and he doesn’t break the habit just because it’s his birthday.

He’ll go out for dinner with his Dad tonight, because it’s just the two of them now. Apparently his Mom hadn’t been able to restrict herself to just looking at cute guys, and was now living two towns over with her personal trainer.

Dan had been given the choice, and he’d decided to stay in Beacon Hills with his Dad.

His Mom and her boyfriend hadn’t tried to persuade him otherwise.

He doesn’t really mind not making a big fuss of his birthday. He’s turning fourteen, so it’s not a milestone, and he knows his dad’s a hopeless planner.

So he’s surprised when he arrives at the library to find Stiles waiting for him.

“Happy birthday!” he exclaims, and pulls out what is possibly the ugliest cake Dan’s ever seen from behind his back.

It looks like it started well, but there must have been some sort of earthquake or fire when it was being decorated, because it’s leaning to one side, icing rosettes balancing dangerously along the edges, in danger of sliding off at any moment.

But it has _Happy Birthday, Dan_ piped on the top of it in a nearly straight line, and his face splits into a grin when he sees it.

“How did you know?” he asks.

“Dude, date of birth’s on your library card, remember?” Stiles tells him.

Dan looks skeptical.

Stiles huffs, and says “Fiiine, your dad told me when he picked you up the other day, OK? Seems like a cool guy.” 

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool” Dan agrees.

He eyes the cake dubiously.

“So, you made this?”

Stiles laughs. “God no, I can’t bake. A friend of mine made it. Now _he_ can bake. I decorated it, though.”

Dan absentmindedly nudges one of the flowers back into place, turning that statement over.

Stiles has a friend who’s a man. A friend who will apparently bake on demand.

So, probably more than a friend then.

Dan’s not sure why he feels disappointed about that. He’s grown to like Stiles as he’s seen more of him, really like him.

Really, really like him.

It’s not a crush, OK?

He just admires him, and the way he’s good at his job, and how he puts together those kickass displays every month, that’s all.

And how he has cool shirts that cling to his forearms when he rolls the sleeves, and how his hair always looks like he started to style it but got distracted, and how he has really cute dimples.

It’s not a crush.

Stiles gets his attention by tapping him gently on the shoulder, saying “earth to Dan? You OK, dude?’

Dan smiles brightly and tells him “I can’t believe and your boyfriend made me a cake!”

Stiles rubs the back of his neck, blushing slightly, and says “Yeah buddy, we did.”

Dan asks then “Can we eat it?”

Stiles grins, and goes to get a pile of paper plates and serviettes and a knife from the break room.

It’s a big cake, and Stiles slices it up expertly and hands it around. Dan insists they feed the library ladies, and he picks up his own slice, looking at it with a critical eye.

Decoration notwithstanding, it’s a well-made cake. Even though the icing’s messy, it has a good flavor and creamy texture. The cake itself is a moist dark chocolate, and Dan tests the crumb consistency between his fingertips, nodding.  He takes a bite, and his eyes go wide. He turns to Stiles, saying “Devil’s food cake? It’s really good. The density’s just right, it’s the perfect amount of moist, and it doesn’t suffer from excessive crumbing, so it hasn’t been over baked. That can be a problem with a dark cake, it’s hard to judge it just right. Whoever this guy is, he really can bake.”

He trails off when he sees that Stiles is just staring at him.

“You know, I hear words coming out of your mouth, but I have no idea what you just said. Do you know about this stuff?” Stiles asks.

Dan shrugs. “I bake a little. Just for fun.”

“That’s awesome. If you ever want to bring in samples, I’ll be your taste tester” Stiles grins.

It really is a good cake, and Dan takes the rest of it home for his Dad.

 

* * *

 

 

OK, he’s definitely gay, thinks Dan as he stares at the picture of Stiles and his boyfriend from the front of the pamphlet that Stiles has handed him with a wicked grin.

Stiles looks great, but the boyfriend? He’s a whole other lever of hot, and a werewolf to boot, if the contents of the pamphlet are anything to go by.

Stiles looks at the picture and Dan sees him smile fondly.

“That’s Peter” he says, eyes soft.

“The baker?” Dan asks.

“That’s the one” Stiles confirms.

“He looks hot” Dan comments, eyes flicking to Stiles to see if he’s picking up on what he’s telling him.

He hasn’t told anyone else yet, doesn’t intend to, but he figures Stiles is as good a test audience as anyone – at least he knows he won’t judge him

Stiles catches his eye and holds his gaze.

He leans in close to Dan, and says quietly “He really is. Hands off though, he’s mine.”

And he pulls back and winks, and Dan laughs, relieved.

Dan loves what Stiles has done for Werewolf Appreciation Week, and he’s very appreciative of the free cupcakes, even though they’re a little dry.

Stiles agrees, and confesses he bought them from a local bakery at the last minute.

“Should have called me, I would have made them for you” Dan says.

“When you have your own bakery, I promise I’ll only use you for my cakes” Stiles promises.

Dan looks uncomfortable.

“I won’t end up baking. Cooking’s for girls. I’ll have to get a real job” he sighs.

Stiles crosses his arms and looks at him sternly.

“Says who?’ he challenges.

“The guys at school” he mumbles.

 

Dan’s never been one of the cool kids, all right?

Too quiet, too studious, hopeless at football and Lacrosse and pretty much any other sport.

He doesn’t get bullied, exactly, but when he mentions his baking, there’s the odd comment of “What are you, a girl?”

Some guys make a few other insinuations about his sexuality, and Dan’s not yet brave enough to call their bluff and say “Actually, I am gay, yeah.”

Most fourteen and a half year olds aren’t.

So he bakes for fun, and keeps it quiet, and resigns himself to the fact that if he’s lucky he’ll end up doing something he doesn’t hate, and keep this as a hobby.

He tells Stiles all this, and Stiles quietly takes his arm and leads him to the break room.

He sits him down at the table, and says “Dan, what do you want to do? Really?”

There’s no question in Dan’s mind.

“I’d like to bake, but the guys say –“

“Screw the guys” Stiles interrupts. “You’re the one who’s doing it, not them. I mean, hell, if I listened to what people say, I wouldn’t be with Peter, for a start.”

“You should do what you want, do it all out, and to hell with what anyone else thinks.” Stiles tells him firmly.

Dan nods, and promises he'll think about it.

 

* * *

 

Dan thinks about the conversation a lot, over the next few months.  

He watches how well Werewolf month is received, and thinks about how the whole thing only happened because Stiles just did what he wanted.

He hears stories about Stiles and Peter making out in the diner, and part of him is jealous, but once again, he realises, it comes down to Stiles doing what the hell he wants.

His dad’s started hinting that they’re going to have The Talk soon, making vague references to girls, and dating, and condoms, squirming every time he skirts around the subject.

Dan decides that he might as well make it really uncomfortable, and tell his dad that getting someone pregnant’s not going to be a concern.

He’s still gathering his courage when he’s at the library one day and he sees the Sheriff come in and talk to Stiles. The two talk briefly, and Dan hears Noah saying “Bring Peter over on the weekend, OK?”

Stiles smiles and agrees, and gives his Dad a hug before he leaves.

Dan watches, and Stiles sees him watching. He comes over and says “That’s my Dad.”

“Yeah, I guessed. The name” Dan grins.

He hesitates, and Stiles says “what’s up?”

“Your Dad. He’s really OK with it? With you being….with you dating Peter?” he settles on.

It takes Stiles a moment, but then he smiles, and sits down.

“Yeah. He’s good with the whole bisexual thing.”

“I think I want to tell my Dad, but what if he’s not OK with it?” Dan asks.

“Even if he’s not, will it change anything about you?” Stiles points out quietly.

Dan shakes his head. “No. I’m still nervous, though. How do I tell him, exactly?”

“I know, you should be able to get a hallmark card for this stuff, right?” Stiles sympathizes.

His keen eyes rest on Dan for a moment, before he offers “I could come with you, if you want? Moral support?”

Because Stiles remembers exactly how it feels to be a motherless teenager and have to figure this shit out yourself.

“Would you? Really?” Dan asks, surprised.

“Sure thing. Us library nerds have to stick together” Stiles says easily.

 

* * *

 

 

Dan’s father’s not as unobservant as his son thinks, and he’s quietly accepting of his son’s news, and Stiles counts it as a win, and goes home and tells Peter he did a Good Thing today.

Peter rewards him accordingly.

 

* * *

 

 

And when Dan graduates high school, he follows Stiles’ advice, and thinks to hell with what anyone thinks, and enrolls in a culinary college that specializes in cakes and pastries.

He has to move two states over to do it, but he pursues his passion, and it’s quickly apparent that he’s made the right choice.  As soon as he graduates he’s scooped up by one of the large wedding caterers in LA, and he hones his cake skills, and works long hours, and doesn’t date because he’s too busy, and saves every cent.

After four years and what feels like seventy thousand fondant roses, he’s head hunted by another company, and moves on to specialize in more personalized cakes, structures that are sometimes more dowel rod and polystyrene than cake, creations where people want flashing lights and spinning platforms and fondant models of their dead grandmother.

By the time he leaves there, three years later, his reputation has solidified as one of the best in the business, and his bank account’s extremely healthy, but he’s not.

The combination of long hours and a diet with way too much cake in in are weighing on him, literally, and he decides it’s time for a change.

He quits, and with no plan in mind, just a vague desire to be unfettered, he gets on a plane to Europe, armed just with his high school French and his bank account.

He take a few group tours around the capitals, just to see what he likes, and settles in Florence, of all places. He spends six months there, taking up hiking, and somehow managing to lose forty pounds even while eating gelato.

After that he ends up in Greece, because it’s coming into summer and he feels like going to the beach. He discovers a passion for swimming in the ocean, and for salads with feta and sundried tomatoes, and walking up and down the sand hills till his legs burn.

 By the end of the summer he’s another twenty pounds down, and he’s developed some muscles from swimming and running, and he’s working two days a week in a local bakery learning everything there is to know about making baklava and honey cakes and loukoumades. He doesn’t eat it, he’s just fascinated by how to make it all.

He meets a local man, 24 and tanned and lean, with brown eyes and dimples, and he starts his first fully fledged affair since leaving Beacon Hills.

It doesn’t last long, just four months, but Dan learns a lot about what he likes, and they part amicably enough.

 

After, Dan has a sudden yearning to go home.

He misses his dad, and he’s had a fantastic time, but he feels the need to settle.

He flies back to Beacon Hills, and surprises his father, who pulls him into his arms and hugs him tight, and tells him how good he looks, and asks how long he’s visiting for.

“I’m home to stay” he says, and wishes he’d thought to take a photo of his dad’s face when he hears the news , because his expression is priceless.

He refuses his dad’s offer to move in, and buys a house. 

And as he walks around the town where he grew up, he sees that one of the old bakeries has closed down. He takes note of the realtor's details in the window, and goes home to think.

Does he want his own bakery? Does he want the responsibility?

In the back of his mind, he remembers Stiles telling him that if he’s going to do something, do it all the way/

He crunches some numbers, and discovers that he could have the whole thing up and running without having to take out a loan.

He decides to go for it.

At the very least, he figures, if he owns the place he won’t have to make any damned dick cakes.

 

* * *

 

The guy who comes in to quote on renovating the premises is called John, and he has a weakness for cake.

Turns out he has a weakness for Dan as well, and within six months the business is open and John's moved in.

Both endeavours are a roaring success.

 

* * *

 

 

When Peter makes an appointment to see Dan, he doesn’t realise who it is until Peter’s in front of him, and then his mind connects the dots.

This was Stiles’ boyfriend back in the day, and apparently his husband now.

He’s glad it worked out for them.

He still remembers Stiles fondly, and it's probably a coincidence, but John is tall and lean, with brown eyes and messy hair, and he may have a few moles on his pale skin.

 

So sue him, he has a type.

 


End file.
